A Cottage by the Sea - On My Mind

No stories to tell

8/1/2020

Five months into the pandemic and only a vague end in sight. Four months ago I would have been in Italy; five months ago I had cancelled the trip. Why do I even mention this to you? Undoubtedly you have a similar story to tell. But that’s the point. Because of the pandemic we all have fewer stories to tell. The telling thing is that nothing worth happening is happening.
    That’s not completely true, but we do have fewer adventures to share. How many people do you know who are off to Disney World? Whatever adventure we do have is always couched in a pandemic setting.
    Friends still care about each other, but email contact, telephone check in, and getting together face-to-face has becomes less frequent. For those of us who love silence, solitude and simplicity, we can easily adjust. I, for one, like having a quieter schedule, but that may also be because I am well into retirement age.
     Among other things, I am filling the  void with reading, contemplation, listening to opera. And, when I contact someone, it is very special.

A beautiful visitor

7/25/2020

Yesterday morning I shouted upstairs to my husband, “Quickly, look out at the birdfeeder.” I was concerned that this hawk would fly away immediately and he’d miss the miracle. But it stayed on the bird feeder for at least 15 minutes, even when we approached closer and closer, and talked louder and louder.
It was staring down where the chipmunk family lives under the feeder. No birds showed up while it was there, nor the chipmunks. Exciting day for all our little critters, who were squeaking loudly after it left. Thankfully the resident critters and birds have returned.
Later a friend wrote this: Looks like it's an immature Red-Tailed Hawk, maybe? Could be newly on its own, if Mama dispersed her young. Sometimes the immatures are less cautious around humans.

It's the little things

7/23/2020

Early morning walks seem to be part of my current routine this month. I head out before the heat builds up. Today, however, I didn’t need the rain shower to cooled me off, but that’s what I got.
      Ten years ago, when I began going to the cottage, I was vaguely aware that I desired silence, solitude and simplicity and that I longed to sometimes be alone. But it was launching this blog that helped me articulate how important my desires and longings were; over the years I’ve held on to them in different ways. My travel provided extended periods of solitude; at home I was able to compartmentalize my times of solitude and times of socializing.
     Nowadays my life has more solitude and introspection and less compartmentalizing of time; instead there is a flow to the day. Maybe it’s my age, maybe it’s the pandemic, probably a combination of the two.  I let go of things that don’t fit my purpose or interests , and I spend more time examining the little things.

Silence, solitude, and simplicity at the lake

7/20/2020

Silence, solitude, and simplicity. We have to find them where and when we can and appreciate those moments in between the social scenes of life. In fact, too much silence can be deafening, solitude can morph into loneliness, and simplicity may find us wanting. Too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing.
This weekend at the lake offered just the right balance. I can always find silence, solitude, and simplicity time because I get up early, before anyone including the birds are up. Five o’clock was even too early for the fishermen.

Solitude in opera and nature

7/16/2020

Last night I listened to Puccini’s Turandot, thanks to the Met which has generously live-streamed productions from their archives. I hope the offer it again soon. Definitely my favorite Puccini.
Puccini’s Turandot
Starring Maria Guleghina, Marina Poplavskaya, Marcello Giordani, and Samuel Ramey, conducted by Andris Nelsons, stage production by Zeffirelli. From November 7, 2009.

Speaking of favorites, the night before the offering was La Traviata, my favorite Verdi.

Verdi’s La Traviata
Starring Ileana Cotrubaș, Plácido Domingo, and Cornell MacNeil, conducted by James Levine, stage production by Zeffirelli. Transmitted live on March 28, 1981

We’re off to the Vermont for the weekend, where the scenery is beautiful and the internet access non-existent.

The Brownie Fairy

7/13/2020

The Brownie Fairy (that’s me) is about to make a few deliveries. I love my new role. What else might I be doing? Making and delivery brownies fulfills my desire for silence, solitude and simplicity.
Being the Brownie Fairy (my husband’s name) is a quiet, solitary, and simple endeavor. Except for the three roars of my food processor, baking is just that. Unless I listen to music, my delivery drive is quiet. When I ring the bell and someone comes to the door, however, the silence and solitude is broken by a few minutes of conversation.
It is easy to fulfill my longing to sometimes be alone. But it is the sometimes that is key for me, because I long for those other times when I am not alone. I just want them not to be noisy, chaotic or complicated. The Brownie Fairy watches out for that.

New computer for silence, solitude, and simplicity

7/8/2020

It’s been about two weeks since I’ve posted. I haven’t forgotten or not wanted to, but because my computer battery was about to crash I had to get a new computer(no, it was simply enough to replace the battery). The Apple store in the mall had just opened, so over I went. Parking was easy, I was checked for wearing a mask before entering the Neiman Marcus entrance, walked through and didn’t buy anything--never do--and went right up to have my temperature taken before entering the Apple store. I bought another MacBook Air, and was on my way home.
Easy to transfer everything, or so I was told! I agree, if you know what you’re doing. I don’t! But my son-and-law does, so for almost two hours he talked me through it via the phone. (Very grateful to Tony.) Sadly, that’s not the end of it. I am now learning to navigate a new word processing program, and thus one reason for my delay.
What does this have to do with silence, solitude, and simplicity? Not much, at least not directly. But dealing with such things is part of my life, which is worldly, social, and public, as well as silent, solitary, and simple. A working computer is part of keeping this balance.

Covid observation

6/30/2020

Since March we’ve been living intensely with this pandemic. I started in February when I cancelled my trip to Italy. As you know, I’m happy with solitude; in fact it’s been my stated preference for the past ten years. Thus the self-quarantining and isolation hasn’t been particularly difficult for me. In fact, I’ve often liked the excuse to stay home.
      However, now that Covid-19 has extended its stay without an end in sight, I notice something is changing. People, and that includes me, are not only physically distancing, but psychologically doing so. We have less desire to socialize, and it isn’t only because we have fewer stories to tell. We are retreating into our own worlds.
    For those of us privileged to have food on our table, this isn’t entirely a bad thing. The opportunity is there for us to face our demons (the bad) and sit with God (the good). For those of us who are introverts, it is an opportunity to find new ways of living in solitude. For those who are extroverts, however, I trust that in is a considerable challenge, whether the challenge be welcomed or unwanted.

Nightly Met Opera Streams

6/20/2020

A benefit of Covid-19: The Metropolitan Opera is offering “Nightly Met Opera Streams.”
    “During this extraordinary and difficult time, the Met hopes to brighten the lives of our audience members even while our stage is dark. Each day, a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series is being made available for free streaming on the Met website, with each performance available for a period of 23 hours, from 7:30 p.m. EDT until 6:30 p.m. the following day. The schedule will include outstanding complete performances from the past 14 years of cinema transmissions, starring all of opera’s greatest singers.’

      Last night I watched Verdi’s La Traviata, starring Leontyne Price, Giuseppe Giacomini, Leo Nucci, and Bonaldo Giaiotti, conducted by James Levine. From March 24, 1984. Watching Levine conduct was theater in itself. And what a gift to hear Leontyne Price sing and see her perform.
     Streaming each opera for a 23 hour time period adds to the specialness of watching. I have to plan my time, plan to go to the opera, be sure not to squander my ticked.
     I’m looking forward to going to La Traviata on Monday. Yes, I will go at 7:30 in the evening. Maybe I’ll get dressed up.

www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/

Curbside library pickup

6/18/2020

I picked them up!! My library books. My pickup time was between 10 and 11, and I was there. Every hour the librarians place on a cart the bags* of books for the ten people who scheduled that pickup time. After grabbing mine at 10:30, four bags remained. At the end of the hour any remaining bags will be taken inside and bags for the 11-12 time slot will be brought out. If you miss your appointment, you have to reschedule.
My selection: two mysteries, one non-fiction, one cookbook, and one CD.
* Note the recycled the grocery stores bags.